So cute !!!

  This is my favourite photo!

  This baby Northern White-faced Owl – Otus leucotis – appeared to no longer have any parents and, after noticing it alone it its nest, a local planter brought him to the Abuko rehabilitation centre. It’s a nocturnal bird of prey.

   No walk is complete without my pen and paper, and my camera. Lamin speaks rapidly and I must hurry to take notes if I don’t want to miss anything out. Opposite Abuko, there are fields that will soon be transformed into rice fields. Close to the many wells that have openings directly into the ground, we often see very nice dragonflies (bottom).

   From some types of palm trees, people extract syrup by attaching bottles to the notched trunk. When drunk quickly, this syrup is much enjoyed though it quickly turns into alcohol after only 2 days. After this transformation, muslims no longer drink it. This precious palm tree rum is an endangered species as it is very useful and served (and still does as a matter of fact) for roofs (leaves) and food (fruit).

   Over a century ago, elephants populated this land though none have lived in The Gambia since 1912.

  

1 - The Palm-nut Vulture - Gypohierax angolensis - is a black and white vulture. It could be mistaken for an eagle, especially in flight as it can beat its wings constantly without depending on upward air-currents like his “cousin” the Hooded vulture. It lives close to oil-bearing palm trees from which he feeds – a unique behaviour for a bird of prey. On some, though very rare, occasions, it will indulge in a hooded vulture.

2 & 4 - The African Jacana - Actophilornis africanus - is a small and common gold-breasted wader, well settled in The Gambia. It can be found in soft water areas as well as near plantations (rice, etc.) where it forages the ground with its beak to find small prey (insects and invertebrates).

3 - The Piapiac - Ptilostomus afer - is the local crow and lives in a group. He also likes, among other things, the oil-bearing palm tree fruit.

   In the breathtaking colours category, we have the Violet turaco - Musophaga violacea - who displays flamboyant red wingtips when in flight (1) and whose top of the head is red with a striking yellow “visor” (2). As with its cousin, the Western Plantain-eater (a grey turaco), it eats fruit (especially figs) and seeds.

   The Western Plantain-eater (4&5) is less spectacular colour-wise though also demonstrates a magnificent plumage in flight (3). It’s quite noisy and you can sometimes meet it in hotel gardens (Atlantic Hotel in Banjul). To the tip of its tail, it’s about 50cm long, and has a crest that it can raise up at will.

   One of my favourite categories is the kingfishers. In Abuko, we saw the Giant kingfisher (1&2 - Megaceryle maxima). It’s the largest one in Africa, measuring 48cm. It feeds on crabs, fish or amphibians. Its call is a strong and loud laugh, similar to that of the kookaburra that I had met in Cairns, Australia.

   High up in the sky, amongst the innumerable vultures, I noticed a different form; that of the Marabou stork (Leptotilos crumeniferus). Frequently spotted in The Gambia, Lamin says that it was the 1^st time that he had seen one in the area (South-Atlantic coast) as they are normally further inland. It’s impressive with its big beak, its wingspan of 1m60 to 2m50, and its weight of 9kg. It feeds mainly on carrion, though also pillages the nests of other birds (such as the flamingo). As is the case with herons, it flies with its neck pulled in.